October LSAT Administration

June LSAT exam.

Annual gathering of UMass Amherst Political Science, Legal Studies and Commonwealth Honors College alums in the DC area.  A great number of these alums are attorneys—excellent networking opportunity. 

RSVP here.

What’s your current position and primary practice field(s)?

I am an associate attorney with King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC in Bethlehem, PA.  King Spry is a full-service firm that represents individual, business and municipal clients in all practice areas.  My practice focuses on representation of school districts in general matters and special education litigation.  In addition, I represent clients in adoption matters.  Another of my “niche” areas of special knowledge is the state Right to Know Law.

How did you get here – what led you to this field and practice setting?

I did not get here directly, that’s for sure!  After graduating from UMass, I started out as a masters-level therapist in a residential...]]> 2013-05-17T12:52:14+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/summer_2013_office_hours http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/summer_2013_office_hours#When:12:44:51Z The UMass Amherst Pre-Law Advising Office is open throughout the summer, with a few exceptions.  However, in large part due to the ongoing construction just outside my office, I will not have regular office hours.  I’m available by email, and can be available on campus or by phone by appointment.  So feel free to email me your questions (no matter how detailed!) and if you’d prefer to talk on the phone or in person, we can set something up.

The office will be closed entirely during the 4th of July break, and during the weeks of May 20-24, and August 12-23.

For those applying to law school next year: The Pre-Law Advising Office is open throughout the summer.  I won’t have regular office hours, but I am available to meet with you by appointment (no extra charge for the awe-inspiring close-up views of excavators at work).  And of course, you can always shoot me an email with questions or a draft of your personal statement. If you’re still not sure whether to apply during your senior year, or to take some some time off first, click through here for some things to consider.

For those on your way to law school in the Fall: Congratulations (again) and good luck with the transition! If you have remaining questions about your choice of school, financial aid or...]]> 2013-05-08T17:33:57+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/summer_and_fall_law_firm_internships http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/summer_and_fall_law_firm_internships#When:14:27:00Z This just in from local law firm Dunn & Phillips:

The Law Offices of Dunn and Phillips Amherst is currently accepting applicants for both summer and fall positions in our firm. We have 2 opportunities for internships, one as a Legal Intern, and one as a Marketing Intern. Descriptions of the two positions are listed below. If interested in either, please submit your resume, as well as a writing sample to our email:

dunnandphillipsamherst@gmail.com

Legal Intern: The duties of Legal Intern will consist of the following: legal research, drafting documents (motions, affidavits, memos etc…), client interviews, and court observations.

Marketing Intern: the duties of Marketing Intern will consist of the following: maintaining firms social media outlets (facebook, twitter, yelp etc…) with relevant information to promote the firm, developing both a short and long term marketing strategy for the firm for...]]> 2013-04-08T14:27:00+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/decisions_deadlines_and_good_admission_practices1 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/decisions_deadlines_and_good_admission_practices1#When:17:59:44Z The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has long had a Statement of Good Admission and Financial Aid Practices that seeks to guide law schools.  They are not enforceable or binding rules, but merely “principles” designed to “improve the admission and financial aid processes in law schools and to promote fairness and the highest standards of professional conduct for all participants.”  You can find these guidelines in their entirety here.

Because many people have reported to me that they are facing conflicting deadlines from law schools, are still waiting for scholarship decisions from others, and basically having a difficult time making final choices with incomplete information, I wanted to share with you what the the guidelines have to say in this regard.

5. Except under binding early decision plans or for academic terms beginning in the spring or summer, no law school should require an...]]> 2013-03-27T17:59:44+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/lawyer_alum_profile_richard_sugarman_political_science_92_gw_law_00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/lawyer_alum_profile_richard_sugarman_political_science_92_gw_law_00#When:13:00:03Z Richard A. Sugarman Assistant General Counsel Boston Medical Center

What’s your current position and primary practice field(s)? I am currently an Assistant General Counsel at Boston Medical Center (“BMC”).  BMC is a large full-service hospital in Boston’s South End and affiliated with Boston University School of Medicine.  We are the largest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England, as well as the largest safety-net hospital in New England. 

The lawyers in my office are not broken up into practice areas and we each handle nearly all areas of the law.  I advise on quite a bit of health law issues, but I also draft contracts and hospital policies, advise hospital personnel on regulatory issues, and work on litigated business matters.  The contracts I advise on concern everything from IT services to personal service agreements for...]]> 2013-03-25T13:00:03+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/lawyer_alum_profile_joseph_roche_political_science_2005_suffolk_law_2008 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/lawyer_alum_profile_joseph_roche_political_science_2005_suffolk_law_2008#When:18:29:32Z Joseph Roche Associate Army & Lee, P.C., Worcester

What’s your current position and primary practice field(s)?

I am an Associate at Army & Lee, P.C., in Worcester, Massachusetts. I practice primarily in the Probate & Family Court dealing with divorce, custody, support, visitation issues and restraining orders. As part of my practice I also handle interlocutory and post-judgment appellate work.

How did you get here – what led you to this field and practice setting?

I graduated from UMass in 2005, graduated from Suffolk University Law School in June 2008 and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in November 2008. Essentially from the time I entered law school to the time when I was admitted to the bar the entire world economy collapsed. The legal sector still hasn’t recovered but the landscape in 2008 was bleak. I got to the point...]]> 2013-03-10T18:29:32+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/paralegal_positions_at_rich_may_in_boston http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/paralegal_positions_at_rich_may_in_boston#When:17:47:18Z Lawyer-alum Howard Levin, a partner at the Boston law firm Rich May, has passed along to us the job announcement for 3 full-time paralegal positions with his firm.  These are entry-level positions for college grads and are scheduled to start June 3, 2013. 

You can find the full position listings here.

Debora Ferreira (Legal Studies and African-American Studies ‘93, Boston College Law) Executive Director, UMass Amherst Office of Equal Opportunity and Employment

Débora D. Ferreira was born in Cape Verde Islands, West Africa and raised in New Bedford, MA.  After law school, she worked in the civil rights arena including working with the Attorney General’s Office for the State of Maine, directing their school civil rights program. She also had her own diversity consulting firm called The Harriet Project.  Then in 2002, she returned to UMass Amherst as the Associate Director for the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (EO&D).  Since 2006,...]]> 2013-02-20T15:16:48+00:00 http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/lawyer_alumni_profile_elizabeth_pugh_sociology_71_cleveland_marshall_colleg http://prelaw.umass.edu/blog/lawyer_alumni_profile_elizabeth_pugh_sociology_71_cleveland_marshall_colleg#When:15:52:45Z Elizabeth Pugh Sociology ’71, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law ‘78 General Counsel, United States Library of Congress

How did you get here – what led you to this field and practice setting? In 1971, as a senior at UMass, I was Chair of the Student Union Governing Board, and had the chance to meet the President of the University, Bob Wood.  As a result of this meeting, I ended up working with the President’s Office in Boston first as a student and then in a permanent job after I graduated.  In that capacity, I was the primary student liaison between the central office of the University in Boston and the Amherst campus.  It was a wonderful opportunity: to be 22, traveling with the President, and working with the Board of Trustees.

At about the same time, the President’s office hired a lawyer in central administration—William...]]> 2013-02-04T15:52:45+00:00